Electric generators are well known devices for generating electricity by turning an armature of a plurality of copper wires through the magnetic flux produced in the field coil by passing electricity through copper wire wrapped around cores of soft iron. The electricity generated in the armature is withdrawn by slip rings as A.C. current, or by a commutator as D.C. current. Very little time has been spent in the prior art on generators which induce the current in the field coil. Such a generator is described in U.S. Patents; to Smith and Sharron, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,612,470 and 4,719,380, and in copending patent applications by Smith, Ser. No. 054,722 filed May 27, 1987, and Ser. No. 152,327 filed Feb. 4, 1988. These inventions describe monopole generators having a single stationary field coil, a rotatable armature of permanent magnets, and between the coil and the armature a cage of alternating strips of magnetically conductive material. These devices are operable and remarkably efficient, and the present invention relates to an improved design.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved electric generator of the type which induces current in a stationary induction. It is another object of the invention to provide an improvement wherein a plurality of induction coils are employed to provide the capability of a polyphase generator. Still other objects will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows.